A Place Of Deep Emotion
by Nikitam
Summary: "...Regina wasn't quite ready to admit her feelings for Emma, let alone ask her out on an actual date… And she was certain that Emma wasn't going to do any of that either… At least not without a little push. So, she decided to spend some quality time with her, just to make the both of them feel more at ease..." After the intense look between Emma and Regina in Regina's office in 3
1. Chapter 1

This scene takes place after the intense look between Emma and Regina in Regina's office in 3x13. It's my version of what could have happened. I hope you like it.

The two women look at each other. They look into each other's eyes and suddenly forget the world. For a moment they lose track of their surroundings. For these few seconds they aren't trying to break a curse. There isn't an entire town depending on them. Just Emma, Regina and the sparks that are created by their chemistry.

But they dismiss it. What else was there? At this moment, how could either of the two possibly fathom what that look could mean? They share a moment of awkward silence, and proceed to change the subject.

"So has Henry got a girlfriend?" inquires Regina, interested in her son's life.

"There is this one girl, but it's kind of complicated…"

"What is?"

"Well, he isn't exactly sure about the feelings that are involved…" Emma starts looking at Regina discretely.

"He knows he really likes her… But he doesn't know how she feels about him… See, they used to be enemies. She made fun of him and bullied him at school, but eventually she grew out of it...Now they're on good terms, but it's still kind of awkward between them…"

By this point Regina has caught on. She isn't sure where this is going, but she wants to play along…

"Why doesn't he try to make a subtle move, you know… To figure out how she feels?" she asks, curious as to what she would hear

"I think he's afraid, not exactly of being rejected, but of what would happen between them. Plus I don't think he thinks he's ready for such a complicated relationship…" She cringed on the inside. Now she blew it… What was that? Damn it! A complicated relationship? Henry? He's 14! If it wasn't obvious already that they weren't talking about Henry, it was now! Damage control? What's the point?

"Ah… I see…" The brunette starts to move forward, and stands only inches away from the woman opposite her, who looked almost nervous. "Well… What if she was the one to make a move on him? How do you think he'd take it?" She looks into Emma's eyes seductively, and in a sudden move she turns around and heads back to her original position.

Emma was caught off guard. What had just happened? She tried to conceal the mix of sensations she had just felt. Was Regina actually interested? Even in the least bit? She tried to discard the thought and continue their conversation. "I think he'd take it pretty well… ", she coughed nervously, half out of breath. She pulled herself together and continued, trying to hide the fact that her voice was shaking. "Wouldn't believe it, but if he was certain that it wasn't some trick of hers, he'd definitely go for it…"

"Oh…She likes playing tricks does she?" She flashes Emma another smile and looks back at the potion brewing. "Oh, you have no idea…" Emma chuckled. It was clear that neither of them was actually talking about their son, but they didn't care. In fact, they were both slightly turned on by the idea that there could be a possibility of something happening between them. But one of them needed to make the first move, and neither

**Regina****'****s office, Three Days Later**

Regina wasn't quite ready to admit her feelings for Emma, let alone ask her out on an actual date… And she was certain that Emma wasn't going to do any of that either… At least not without a little push. So, she decided to spend some quality time with her, just to make the both of them feel more at ease. It's not like they'd been the best of friends before… She needed an excuse to haul the blonde down to her office. Magic. They were facing a threat. Emma was the savior, and she needed to learn at least the basics to magic anyway…

She picked up the phone, but as she did she noticed her hands slightly shaking. Was she…? No. Regina dialed the number –by heart- and noticed that at the first ring her heart rate sped up. Okay, she was nervous. Fuck. Regina Mills does not get nervous. She waited for Emma to pick up. Second ring… Third ring… She did not appreciate being kept waiting. Under other circumstances she would have hung up. But alas she waited. And at the fourth ring, Emma answered.

"Hello?" she was quite shocked to see the name on her caller ID, so she tried as best as she could to hide the mixture of excitement, nervousness and curiosity that overcame her at that moment.

"Miss Swan, its Regina. I would like to see you in my office today." Regina sounded strange. She spoke a bit faster than usual; however there was restraint in her voice as well. The mayor was always the perfect example of self-control, so no shock there…

"Sure, what time?"

"Eight o'clock. Is that alright? I realize you're on a tight schedule" It was quite a rare thing for Regina to show consideration towards other people's plans, but she couldn't afford to sound completely cold. Not if she wanted to get anywhere with Emma anyway…

The blonde was puzzled by that notion, but didn't hesitate at all.

"Yeah eight o'clock works. Should I be worried or something?" She was actually concerned. What could Regina want with her? It was completely out of the blue.

"No no it's quite alright. Everything's fine. Just don't be late."

"Okay. Bye Regina." You could almost hear the smile on Emma's lips as she spoke.

"Goodbye Miss Swan" Regina hung up.

She took a deep breath and held the phone to her chest as she inhaled. She held the device and looked at it. Exhale.

It was already seven o'clock which meant Regina had one hour to mentally prepare herself. There was nothing much to do though... How do you control something you can't even describe? She did have feelings for the blonde, but she couldn't tell how strong they were, and how controllable they would be once she showed up.

**One Hour Later**

Emma arrived at exactly eight o'clock. She knocked on the door, but didn't bother waiting for a response. She walked in to find Regina in leaning on her desk waiting for her. She was wearing her usual black pantsuit with a purple silk shirt.

"Miss swan, I'm glad you're here." She smiled

"Well, you did ask me to, so I assumed there was something important going on." She went straight into the room and stood opposite Regina.

"Yes, ahem" she coughed "Since we are in a time of crisis I thought you might need some help in training your magic." Emma took a step back, but Regina continued "I know you might not think this is a good idea, but believe me it is..."

Emma looked at Regina and gave the idea some thought. Finally she decided to take a leap of faith and give it a go. Magic _had _helped before... And it couldn't really do much harm anyway.

"Okay" Emma finally agreed and waited for instructions from the woman in front of her. So, Regina got up from her desk and led the blonde to a table in the office. On it was a candle.

"We're going to start with something simple. Just take a seat and try to light this candle." The two women sat down and Emma stared at the candle for a few seconds trying to conjure a flame. But to no prevail. She raised her head and saw Regina looking at her.

"What am I doing wrong?" She wondered, but she hadn't given up.

"Magic needs concentration. Try again but this time picture the flame actually being there. To make it real, you have to believe it's real." Emma tried again, and created a small flame that flickered for a few seconds but eventually died out.

"That was quite good, but magic also comes from strong emotions. To make magic you need to think of something that you have very strong emotions about. Weather it's love or hate it's up to you."

Emma tried again but the same thing happened again. She tried to find things that made her feel strongly but nothing made much difference. After what seemed like forever she looked up at a slightly frustrated Regina who was also kind of amused at the spectacle of the savior's endless attempts to conjure a simple flame.

"Okay, let me help you, because this could take forever." Regina took Emma's hands and they both looked at the candle. Before Regina had time to do anything, a huge flame was created and almost burnt the building down. But the experienced witch took care of the matter.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked terrified.

"That was magic." Regina responded, looking just as startled.

"Why are _you_ shocked? You practice magic all the time, this must be nothing new for you..."

"You did that on your own...I didn't have the time to do anything. The second you touched my hands you made that happen..." The savior just blankly stared at the candle and then Regina. Candle. Regina. She took a few moments to process what that meant. Did this mean she was in love with Regina? Was the flame a representation of the strength of her feelings? Could it? How could she not know? Oh god...

After an awkward silence Regina coughed to break the ice and suggested they try something else.

"Let's try something different. Close your eyes and as I move around the room, you have to try and find me based on instinct alone. Think you can do that?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean, I could try..." Emma was nervous. And understandably so. After what happened with a small flame nothing was impossible.

"Again, focus and try to find a place of deep and strong emotion. But try to keep it under control. Don't want you throwing yourself out of the room or anything..." The brunette responded chuckling half nervous and half concerned.

"I'll do my best..." Emma smiled and closed her eyes.

"Ready?" And Regina disappeared and a puff of purple smoke, and reappeared on the other side of the room. Emma had here eyes closed, and stood still trying to track the other woman. She tried to concentrate on her senses, but that led nowhere. She concentrated harder but nothing.

"Your senses won't help you here Miss Swan...This is magic you're playing with. Use your emotions." Regina's voice echoed throughout the entire room. Emma didn't want to do this. But she wanted to impress her teacher. She squeezed here eyes shut and thought of her. _Her_. Regina. Her beautiful dark hair. Her amazing smile. Her gorgeous full lips. Her hazel eyes... And suddenly in a puff of white smoke she appeared in front of Regina, gripping her waist and accidentally pushing her against the wall she was standing in front of.

"What did you think of?" Asked the brunette, out of breath from the shock.

"You know what I thought of Regina. I thought of you. You're a gorgeous woman, you're amazing." With these words Regina smiled. Emma had never seen the woman smile like that. It was so real. You could tell Regina felt the same.

"Miss-... Emma... It's a good thing I feel the same about you..."

And then red, cold, but soft supple lips forced themselves against Emma's, making the two one. Finally they were together. The entire world stopped spinning and it felt as if they were the only two beings on the planet. Not a care, not a worry. Just Emma, Regina and that fiery kiss that let out all the emotions they had inside them.

But Emma pushed Regina back. "No, wait-"


	2. Chapter 2

Regina looked deep into Emma's eyes. She couldn't quite grasp what had happened in the previous few minutes. She had to re-check her surroundings a few times just to make sure she was properly aware of the time and place. Her office. Friday night. Held against a wall by one Emma Swan. She could push her away. Heck! She could send her flying out the damn window, right back to Boston had she wanted to. But no. Instead, she kissed her. The brunette had no idea why she did that. She did actually. She definitely wanted to and got caught up in the intense moment between them…

There was something irresistibly sexy about being held against a wall by the woman you've secretly been lusting after for god knows how long. And now she could admit it to herself. Somehow, she felt safe in Emma's arms

But she still also wanted some time to figure out what it was exactly that she was looking for. There was no way Emma would find out about that though. Regina? Uncertain? Nope. No way. That kiss… She couldn't remember the last time she'd been kissed like that. It felt like volcanoes erupting between them. It was electric. Magic…

Why had Emma stopped like that though? Didn't she feel the same? Of course she did. It was the strong emotions towards her that caused her to be able to produce magic. And that was definitely not hate magic. Suddenly she felt the grip on her arms weaken. The blonde was pulling away…

"What's wrong?" Regina took a chance with that question, terrified of the answer. Emma better not have been playing her… "Don't tell me that wasn't amazing, because if that wasn't I don't know what is…"

"Oh believe me that was more than amazing…" Emma had started to slowly walk around the room, her hands in her back pockets.

"Then what? You can't tell me you don't feel anything… There's something between us Emma." She didn't mean it to sound so easy like that… But it was true. There _was_ something between them, but she left it there. She had to seem certain and confident.

"Are you kidding me Regina? It's the exact opposite of that that I'm afraid of..." Emma was almost insulted by that question. Not only did she have excessively strong feelings for Regina, she felt out of control around her. Until that day she couldn't quite pinpoint the nature of her emotions. But now she definitely could. Love, lust, compassion, attraction, care… Not to mention the woman was sexy as fuck.

The pantsuits she wore were all kinds of right. Her full, plump lips combined with the look she usually had in her b-e-a-utiful brown eyes were simply impossible to ignore. And somehow, Regina always picked the perfect outfits that complimented her figure perfectly. The way she always had the top two buttons of her shirt undone, almost giving her the tiniest peak at her cleavage did things to Emma that she could never say out loud. The pencil skirts she often wore wrapped around her ass perfectly, leaving little to the imagination. Not to even mention the fact that the brunette had the most seductive voice Emma had ever heard. Every sound that came out of the woman's lips was a hypnotizing siren song. How could Emma –or anyone for that matter- not fall for her?

"Well then what is it? My techniques haven't gotten any complaints before…" Regina tried to make Emma feel more at ease.

"That is _definitely_ not it…It's just...I don't know Regina…" by this time the other woman had caught up to her. She touched her waist and turned her around. Now they were facing each other.

"It's just… Oh God Regina you really don't know what power you have over people do you? You're so... Well… hot to be honest. I would do anything at your command…" she took a deep breath and continued. "I don't want to go too fast into anything. I know and you know that there are intense feelings involved on my part, and I don't want either of us getting hurt just because we got into something I couldn't handle, and also… God! You're the Evil Queen, well actually no you're not… you _were_ the Evil Queen… Can I be absolutely sure you won't go back to your old ways? Because let's not forget Henry… Henry could get seriously hurt here… Also, I had no idea you swung this way."

Emma was ranting on and on, and though Regina secretly found that cute she walked even closer, the tips of their shoes touching, and placed her index finger on Emma's lips.

"Shh" Even the sound of Regina's whisper aroused Emma… "I'm going to keep my sexuality a mystery for the time being. You can take all the time you want, just don't even think of playing me." Regina smiled seductively and walked away, right back to her starting point. Her desk. She looked down. "As for the Evil Queen thing…" She lifted her head and took a glimpse at the blonde woman standing in front of her. "Understandable, but you should know, I have no intention of going back to that life. Not now, not with Henry and not with… you…"

She smiled and Emma walked her way, picked up her slightly tilted chin and guided the brunette to look into her eyes. "I trust you Regina. Just give me a little time."

Regina smiled at her and nodded in appreciation.

**A Few Days Later, Granny's Diner**

Emma was sitting at the bar, a glass of scotch in her hands. Belle was to her right, and Ruby was behind the counter cleaning up a few dishes and serving customers –well, pretending to anyway- . Emma just sat there for about an hour drinking and occasionally stirring her drink. Ruby and Belle exchanged a few looks but said nothing.

"Okay, stop!" Ruby eventually snapped at Emma "I've been watching you look at that glass skeptically for like an hour now! What's going on Ems?" she wiped a mug she'd been washing and raised an eyebrow at the blonde woman sitting in front of her, who just looked kind of puzzled.

"She's right Emma… You know you can talk to us, right?" Belle said on a sweeter tone than the twenty-something with red hair.

Emma nodded and looked back at her drink, moving it in a circular motion to stir it. She just couldn't stop thinking about Regina and all that had happened. It was too much, and she still had trouble letting it sink in. She wanted to talk to the girls, especially since they'd come so much closer since her return to Storybrooke… But how could she tell them something like that? They already knew she liked women, but not about Regina in specific. Even if they did…How would they handle the fact that _she_, Emma Swan, the savior, was in love with _her_, Regina Mills, the Evil Queen?

But on the other hand she did need to get it all out somewhere… And especially Belle seemed like the best person to potentially talk to about the subject… Ruby would probably offer some sort of advice on how to pick Regina up or figure out who she's into or something… Not that that would be totally useless, but for the time being she just needed something different.

"I know… But this is far too complicated and fucked up…" she just stared at the glass, and Belle touched her arm.

"Whatever it is, we're here for you…" Belle smiled sweetly.

"Yeah! The bookworm's right!" Ruby agreed playfully to ease the tension. The tree girls chuckled and Emma opened her mouth to say something. For a second she hesitated.

"Have you guys ever…" The blonde attempted to find the appropriate way to phrase what she had in mind. She inhaled, drank a sip from her drink and continued. "Have you ever had feelings for someone you shouldn't?" Emma blurted out, and then paused for a few seconds. How could she possibly tell them without causing a stroke? "I'm in a situation with someone… I don't know what the heck is going on with me."

Ruby and Belle were starting to get concerned. They exchanged another look and glanced back at Emma. "What do you mean? How complicated could it be? True love is magic… If you're in it, you know…" Belle asked.

"That's the problem… I know- I know I'm in love with… But the person is the problem… It's… She's… Oh God…" Emma looked at the girls and pictured their responses. She looked down and banged her head on the counter. Ruby stopped her and held her hand.

"Okay stop that!" Ruby scolded, her eyes looked worried.

"It's fine…"

"You aren't fine honey…What is going on? Who is it?" Belle held Emma's hand, comforting her.

"It's…" She took a deep breath. "It's Regina…"

Ruby dropped the plate she was washing and exclaimed out loud. "Regina?!"

The whole diner turned to look at the three girls. Belle stared at Ruby, scolding her with her eyes.

"Sorry…" She whispered to her friends and started to pick up the pieces of the broken plate. Belle looked at Emma.

"Regina? _The _Regina?" Belle inquired looking into Emma's eyes, searching for signs that her friend might be lying. She found nothing. Just the confused eyes of a heavily confused woman. Truth be told, she'd never seen Emma like that before.

"How did that happen? Did something happen between the two of you or something?" Emma didn't want to reveal the events of their encounter. Regina might not want her too either… Not to mention she didn't know how to explain it all.

"Nothing specific… She's just so fucking hot…Have you ever even noticed her?" Emma was starting to really get into it.

"Yeah…Noticed her create the damn curse that brought us here…" Ruby muttered to herself.

"Ruby!" Belle looked at her, and then back at Emma.

"She's so freaking hot! Oh those lips…And her eyes…Have you seen her jawline? And she's insanely smart…Such a sly sense of humor… And her voice… That just does all sorts of things to me…" Emma wasn't addressing her friends anymore. She was basically talking the glass of alcohol in her hands and occasionally turning her head to one of them. The two girls realized she was getting a bit turned on.

"Okay honey we get it…" Belle stopped her. They had started to feel really uncomfortable. "How long has this been going on?"

"I don't have a clue…It feels so strong I've lost track of everything else… Oh God this is so messed up! How the fuck did I get into this mess?" Emma almost put her head through the counter and took the last sip out of her drink and ordered another drink.

"You are not getting any more drinks Emma! But can I ask you a question?" Ruby put down a towel and sat down, still behind the counter. "How does _she_ feel about you? Do you have any idea?"

"I actually don't… Like, I'm not even sure she plays on my team."

The sheriff noticed Ruby opening her mouth to say something, but the young woman hesitated. She opened her mouth once again but Belle eyed her as if trying to stop her from speaking. Unfortunately for them Emma was a smart girl and she was well aware that something was going on that she didn't know about.

"Okay what are you two hiding from me?" She was serious. Not sure what to expect, she fixated her glance on the two girls, mentally forcing them to give her an honest answer. It was working.

"I just don't want to tell you something that might not be true Emma. If you really are in this situation, this might mess up your judgment…" Belle said, her eyes sweetly looking at Emma, only to see a perplexed woman trying to figure out her next move.

"Just tell me already. After all this, I'm sure I can handle pretty much anything" she laughed at her own remark and looked at her friends, waiting for a response.

"Fine, but don't get your hopes up or anything. Okay?" the blonde nodded and with Belle's consent, Ruby continued. "The thing is… Before you got here –the first time- Regina had many relationship- Escapades? Basically they didn't work. She would parade around with some new man in her life for a few months but a while later they seemed to have broken up. Then she'd spend a long while alone, and then you came along, Graham died and suddenly it all stopped… So you know…Folks started to wonder…"

Emma just stared at Ruby while she was speaking those words. Could she possibly be telling the truth? Then again, why would she lie? Had she been the one to turn the Evil Queen? Had the Evil Queen turned? Countless thoughts went through her mind, when she was interrupted by Belle

"Just please don't let this get to you, okay Emma? Promise?" Belle persevered, and the blonde nodded, but all three of them knew she was clearly lying. She _was_ going to let this get to her. In fact, she was probably going to let the thought gnaw at her brain until she asked Regina herself. Or found a more discrete way of getting it out of her.

The three women sat there, looking at each other, when Emma abruptly got up and ran out the door of the diner. Belle and Ruby chased after her and stopped her in the middle of the street.

"Emma what happened?" Ruby grabbed her arm to prevent her running off again.

"Something's not right. I have to go" Emma pulled her hand away and left in a hurry. She must have been running for about ten minutes when she reached her destination. The Mayor's office. She sprinted up the stairs and entered the main room. She was right. The room looked as if someone had broken in, set fire to half the room, and drove a chainsaw through the other half. But where was Regina? Emma scanned the room but there was no sign of her. Then she heard an agonizing scream. She walked in the direction of the couch, and right behind the white leather piece of furniture was Regina.

This may have been the first time Emma ever saw Regina wounded this bad. Or at all for that matter. She had blood all over her clothes and a huge bruise on her left knee. Emma helped Regina up.

"What the hell happened here?" the savior looked around the room and then back at Regina.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina could barely stand on her own feet. She was soaked in blood, so much so that it was difficult to realize where the actual wound was. The woman was shaking.

"AHH!" she exclaimed loudly when Emma tried to help her walk. So the blond woman set her down on the half burned couch.

"Regina, what the hell happened here?" she asked again looking around the room, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. There wasn't one. Regina was a powerful witch. Surely she could take on anyone who tried to attack her. So what?

"You don't have to help me Miss Swan" The brunette could barely speak. Even in excruciating pain, she managed to keep her pride to its height.

"And how exactly are you going to help yourself? You can barely walk. Let me help you Regina." She looked into the other woman's eyes offering help. Regina nodded. But even that seemed to hurt. "Let me take you home." Regina nodded again. How was Emma going to take her home though? The woman could barely walk on flat ground. She would never be able to walk down the stairs and into the car. And Emma couldn't carry her the entire way. How would she do this?

Regina noticed Emma trying to figure it out. "Magic" she weakly muttered.

_Magic?_ Emma couldn't control her magic yet. What if she accidentally took them to some village in Poland? No. She had to do this. For Regina. At least she had to try. She sat next to Regina, the basic source of all the emotions that powered her magic. She closed her eyes and pictured the two of them in Regina's room.

**Regina's House**

Emma opened her eyes. She did it! She was right outside Regina's bedroom, with Regina in her arms. She'd never seen the room before. It was a lot like she'd pictured it. Big bed, white walls, a black dresser, chair and closet…A few picture frames here and there and a few well picked decorations. It was a perfect reflection of Regina's elegant taste. Simple, clean and beautiful. There were two doors. One was the door to the room, and the other was a black door to a personal bathroom.

Emma took Regina and carefully helped her sit on her bed. She had to take her clothes off. How would that work? Regina had started to regain her energy, and looked into Emma's eyes. "It's okay, you can help me."

How did that woman always manage to read Emma's thoughts? It'd just hit her. She had ho help Regina get undressed and cleaned up. Fuck… How the fuck was she supposed to resist the temptation of doing something out of line? Well she had to try…

"Okay…" Emma was shaking more than Regina was now. Regina tried to kick off her heels but her knee was severely bruised. She could barely bend it. Emma helped her out. She took Regina's shoes off and left them next to the bed. Next thing she noticed was Regina undoing her black leather belt. The blonde had at times considered tearing the slacks off the woman, but the context was completely different, and Regina was also in the process of tearing Emma's clothes off in that fantasy.

"Ah- ah- ow" Regina let out in pain as she tried to Remove her black pants. Emma definitely wanted to help. But again. Context. The slightly turned on woman carefully pulled the garments down when they reached Regina's knees. _Fuck_. Emma was most definitely fucked. For a second she pictured herself completely tearing off Regina's silk blouse and doing unspeakable things to her. "_No! Focus!" _Emma tried to think to herself. "_The woman is seriously hurt. Now is not the time to make up scenarios in your head" _the blonde was desperate for the power to control herself.

Regina started to unbutton her blouse. She had no trouble there. She left the shirt next to her on the bed. Emma tried to look away, but couldn't help but take a peek at the spectacle Regina seemed to be creating on purpose. The brunette smiled at the sight of Emma clearly going mentally insane. She _had_ been trying to arouse her a bit. She may have been hurt, but there was no harm in having a little fun with it. Truth be told, she herself secretly wished for Emma to pounce. But it was futile. Emma was a woman with immense self-control, and if she'd said she needed time, time she would take.

Now that most of her clothes had been removed, Emma could have a better look at where Regina was hurt. That is if she could ever focus. Why did the damn woman have to be so fucking hot? Emma did her best to concentrate, while Regina tried _her_ best not to reveal the fact that she found Emma's being aroused almost out of control, both amusing and somewhat of a turn on.

Emma took a look at Regina's body. Other than the bruise on her knee, she had a few glass cuts on her arms, another bruise on the left side of her -flat- stomach and a medium sized burn on her right lower back.

"You should take a shower. Wash all the blood off of yourself" Emma advised, making excessive efforts not to stare too much.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for your help." Regina smiled and started to get up only to remember the pain on her leg.

"Wait- let me…" Emma helped the brunette walk to the bathroom and gather up soap, body lotion, towels etc. "I'm just going to put your things away ok? I'll be outside if you need anything, so just call my name"

"Yeah, thanks."

Emma wasn't sure whether she wanted Regina to need her from in there. She walked out, and Regina shut the bathroom door. The blonde rested her back on the door. She closed her eyes and put her hands to her face.

"Good God…" she whispered as quietly as she could. She crossed her legs, trying to stop the pulsing between them. What the hell was it that Regina did to her? Emma just stayed with her back against the door for a few seconds reflecting on the past half hour. Now she didn't need to focus. She could think about Regina's figure all she wanted.

Her eyes shut, all she could picture was bare olive skin. Every curve was its own unique miracle. Emma could hear the water running from the bathroom behind her. How she wished she could be in there with Regina. She wished she could feel Regina's slender fingers on her own pale skin, going up her stomach to her chest… The image was so vivid she swore she could feel the smell of apple body lotion linger around her.

Letting out a small breath she stood straight and headed to the laundry room to leave Regina's clothes in the washing machine. On her way back she looked around the house and admired the elegant taste. Each piece of furniture was eloquently picked out and carefully placed in its position. Not a chair out of place, not the slightest sign of dust anywhere. The house even smelled faintly of apples. How the woman managed to keep house and home even during such a crisis was beyond Emma.

Suddenly she heard the bathroom door open and found herself running up the stairs to see the brunette walking out of the bathroom. She managed to stop herself from bursting into the room and calmly knocked on the now shut door.

"Come in"

"How are you feeling? You any better?" Emma inquired trying desperately to avert her eyes from Regina. She had dropped her towel on her bed. Her bare silhouette tantalized Emma. Her pupils expanded. She palms were sweating and she could feel a slight tremor engulf her entire nervous system.

"Yeah…The hot water really helped, though my knee is still agonizingly sore. I also noticed a few more lacerations now that there isn't any blood on me. Other than that it's quite alright dear. It's just going to take a while for me to be able to walk around again. " explained the brunette softly, pointing out the cuts and burns. She sounded as if she had a lump in her throat.

"I could uh…" Emma nervously crossed her arms "I could take care of you if you like…" the blonde looked down, avoiding Regina's gaze.

"I wouldn't want to be a bother dear. I'll be quite alright on my own"

"No, it's no problem at all. I've seen a lot of injuries like these in my day, and I'm more than used to helping take care of them." Emma had mustered a whole lot of courage to insist like that. But heck, she'd do anything to spend an extra while with Regina

"Well, if you're sure… You could take the guest bedroom"

"Okay" Emma tried not to show her excitement. She barely restrained herself from jumping up and down like a toddler. "Is there anything you need? It's almost midnight, so…" the blonde only just realized that Regina had been in her underwear this entire time. "…maybe you should put on your PJ's or nightgown or whatever it is you wear to sleep…" Oh God, did she need to get out of there.

"Yes. Could you please open the third drawer and hand me the nightgown on top?" Regina pointed at the dresser

"Nightgown. Go figure…" Emma muttered to herself as she handed the brunette a black satin piece of nightwear.

"What was that?" Regina –now in her gown- smirked at the comment. "You've thought about my sleepwear?"

_Fuck_. "Um… Yeah, like just when…" Emma stuttered, biting her bottom lip. "I gotta go get some stuff from my place" she rushed out of the room when a voice stopped her

"No you won't. You're going to use magic. Zap the clothes here." dictated Regina. "Just picture the clothes in your hands and focus on that image."

The blonde looked nervously around, and did just that. She brought her arms forward and concentrated on the image of her clothes that she had in mind. A few minutes later she opened her eyes to a surprise. A pile of clothes was now in her previously empty hands.

Regina smirked. "See? You're getting better" the brunette marveled in the sight of her apprentice's improvement.

"Yeah" Emma giggled. "I'm just going to…Just yell if you need anything okay?"

Regina nodded, sliding back and getting into bed.

The blonde found the guest bedroom and got herself settled. She kicked off her boots and sat on the bed. It was so soft… She wondered if Regina's was the same… Nonetheless she wore her PJ's and climbed into the cozy comforter. Turning to her left side, she shut her eyes and dozed off to sleep.

"Ah-Ah-Ah-Ow!" A sudden sound had Emma's eyes burst open. She looked at the clock next to her. 3 AM. "Ow!"

Emma walked out of her room and headed to the staircase. She flipped the light switch on.

"Where the hell are you going at three in the morning Regina?"

"I had trouble sleeping, so I decided to make some warm milk"

"Regina, you can't walk! I'll bring you the milk okay? Go back to bed!"

"I'll come with you" Emma looks at Regina disapprovingly, but ultimately gives into the brunette's wishes.

"Thanks" Regina took a sip out of her mug.

"It's fine, just call me next time you need something okay? You could've gotten seriously hurt going down those stairs alone"

"Okay…" Regina looked down and then back at the woman in front of her. "Why were you so willing to help me Emma? And I want the truth."

"You know why Regina."

The brunette looked at Emma in disbelief cupping her mug and taking a sip. "This isn't just your feelings for me. If it were that, you know you could at least try to use magic to heal me like I'd done with Henry. No, this is beyond that. What is it?" Regina sounded almost sincere.

"Okay look…When I was young I went through a bunch of foster homes… You know that." Regina had attentively locked her gaze on Emma. "My first family were amazing. They were loving and caring… The only happy family moments I have are with them. But when I was seven they died in a car crash… The rest of the families were all horrible. They beat me, set fire to my room –if I had one-, until they eventually got bored and gave me back. All these families…They hurt me and they hurt the other kids they adopted as well… I was usually the eldest so I took as much care of the rest as I could. And I guess seeing you hurt and whatever brought that all back…"

Regina just looked at her, a tear running down her cheek. Emma had always suppressed any bad emotions that may have come from these memories, so she was used to concealing that sort of thing. However looking at Regina in that state was definitely a shock. Who would've known that the Mayor had such a soft side?

"Oh Emma…"

"Don't even worry about it. If that hadn't all happened I wouldn't be the person I am today" Regina smiled.

"Then maybe you wouldn't have broken my curse" Regina jokingly raised a brow.

"Maybe I wouldn't, but aren't you happy I did?"

"Actually…Yes… But if you let anyone know I told you this I'm going to have you decapitated." Regina tried to be serious but she couldn't help letting out a giggle which led to both women letting out a laugh.

"_Really_ Regina? You still haven't realized this isn't how things work around here have you?"

"Well maybe I need someone to teach me more about this land…"Regina remarked, getting up to leave her mug in the sink. As she turned she gave Emma a coy smile.

Looking at the brunette give her that look did funny things to Emma's internal organs.

"You should go back to bed dear. You don't need to stay up with me."

As she got up to head upstairs Emma could restrain herself no longer. Before realizing her actions she'd thrown herself onto Regina causing the brunette to gasp in shock. She was already turned on by the blonde as it was, and this was _not_ making matters any easier. The two women stood there looking into each other's eyes anticipating the next move. The only sound in the house; the sound of the hot breathing they could feel on their necks. Unable to hold herself back Regina made the first move. She surged forward closing the small gap that was left between them, pressing plump red lips on Emma's own.

Lips violently closed against each other, leaving one and only reason to stop; Eventual lack of oxygen. Heads parted for a second, only to take in some air.

And they kissed again. This time, Regina's tongue daringly demanded entrance to Emma's mouth. More than willingly, the blonde parted her lips slightly, granting Regina the permission she so desperately craved.

Both women were starting to heat up. Bodies were grinding against one another creating such heat they could start a fire. Emma could taste sweet red apples in Regina's kiss. The sound of heavy breathing flooded the room, as Regina tilted her head back and slightly parted her lips to take in the sensation.

Emma took this opportunity to slowly move her lips downwards leaving a trail of kisses leading to Regina's neck. Pale lips contrasted on olive skin, gently sucking on the smooth area. The blonde felt Regina's hands brush up her ribs, slender fingers creating a tingly sensation down her spine. Pale arms traced up Regina's back, nails sinking into dark flesh, earning a soft –yet sensual- moan from the brunette.

"I…I…Emma I…" Through short puffs of air Regina was trying to speak. She pulled herself away. "I have to go Emma." The brunette took off and ran to her bedroom in a panic. The blonde was just left standing there confused.

**The Next Morning**

Neither of the two women had gotten any sleep that night. But at nine AM sharp Emma's alarm went off, waking her up. Emma walked down the stairs and made Regina breakfast still wondering what had happened the night before. Had Regina changed her mind? Did she not want her anymore? The blonde took the tray with coffee, toast and painkillers to Regina's bedroom, only to find the woman wide awake in bed. She silently gave Regina the tray and walked out the room.

"About last night…" the brunette took a deep breath. "It wasn't you. You are an extravagant woman Emma. What happened last night had to do with me alone."

"Regina, you just ran away! What could possibly have happened in those minutes that freaked you out so much?"

Regina only looked down, resulting in a frustrated look from Emma who had started to leave the Room.

"I've never been with a woman before." Regina blurted out as fast as she could. Emma stopped.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma turned around to face Regina. "You…"

"Yes…Flirting is one thing but I've never _been_ with a woman before. That's why I panicked. I'm out of my territory" Regina nervously cleared her throat, and looked up, avoiding Emma's look. She was getting more and more anxious waiting for the woman in front of her to respond. What would the blonde think of this? Was she going to change her mind?

"Are you not sure you're…?" the blonde approached the bed and sat near the edge.

"I know my feelings for you Emma. But I also know that you're the first woman I've ever had feelings _for_"

Emma tried to handle to make Regina feel more at ease "Regina, what feelings are those?" Emma moved closer to the brunette, trying to control her nervous shaking.

"You know Emma…" Regina looked down again, moving up and sitting straight in her bed.

The blonde desperately wanted Regina to say these words. But she also didn't want to push Regina past her limits. The woman was so out of her league as it was, Emma wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"Regina you should have told me about this though… I wouldn't have thrown myself at you like that…"

"Believe me dear, _that_ is something I can say I truly enjoyed and you need not fret about it."

"You weren't so bad yourself." Emma sensually responded.

Regina got out of bed and remembered her hurt knee. She exclaimed in pain sat back on her bed. Clearly frustrated.

"Sit down and I'll bring you your clothes"

"Right, thanks" Regina smiled at her. "And thanks… for not letting what I told you change anything…"

Emma brought an already picked out outfit to Regina and handed it to her. "Don't thank me. If I wasn't interested I wouldn't do any of this. You mean something to me Regina, and if you want to wait, we'll wait. Now, if you're sure you can get dressed on your own, I'll be waiting for you in the study. Ok? We'll see if I can help you walk or something." Emma smiled and walked out of the room, heading to the study which was located a few doors down.

Regina simply smiled in gratitude. She felt something she couldn't remember ever feeling before. Trust. She trusted her.

Regina trusted Emma and it almost felt like foreign territory. There was a reason why Regina made a point out of distancing herself from people not allowing herself to develop strong bonds or emotions for other people. She just kept walls up around her heart, never letting anyone in. And she often contemplated on whether or not it was right that she let herself feel things, strong things, for Emma. But eventually she always gave up. There was no fighting whatever this was. And that was her primary fear.

If she didn't control herself at least a bit, the results would be chaotic. She'd probably end up running into Emma's arms, crying, confessing her feelings out loud, and eventually jumping on her and fucking her brains out. Not that she didn't need or want it. She did, and it had been awhile since Regina had gotten that kind of satisfaction. But this time she was walking on new terrain. It was unfamiliar and she needed to explore before indulging in the pleasures she felt an overwhelming need for.

Regina put on her shirt. She fumbled with a pair of black slacks when she realized that her knee hurt so much it was almost impossible to bend. So with slow and steady movements she slid the pants over her extended knee and carefully got up to put on her shoes and meet Emma.

"Well look who's finally here! You know… You kind of remind me of Gold with that limp." Emma joked. Regina found this less than entertaining and shot Emma a disapproving glare.

"Okay, okay fine…" Emma lifted her hands in the air for a second while taking a step back. She couldn't hide the satisfied grin drawn on her lips. "Why do you insist of dressing like this anyway? You're at home."

"For now, But in a while you're going to take me to the office." Regina looked at Emma

"But I left my car there, how am I supposed to…" she didn't need to finish her sentence. The look in Regina's eyes answered her question. "Just because it worked once, and in a time of need at that, doesn't mean it will work again Regina. I might accidentally take us to some Greek tavern…And believe me when I say those are impossible to get out of!"

"Well, that's why I'll be there with you. To make sure that whatever happens we can return safely. But let's start with something a little simpler. Put out your hand and try to conjure a flame."

"Woah Regina! If you remember correctly I had enough trouble lighting a candle! And you seriously want me to set my hand on fire?"

Regina giggled at that remark. "You aren't setting your hand on fire! You don't really feel anything, I promise. It's just a fireball…"

Out of anyone else's mouth this would have sounded absolutely insane, but somehow Regina's voice made everything sound so natural. "Do you realize that if you said these words to anyone else they would think you're a lunatic?" the blonde couldn't help but smile.

"Oh I know… But you're not just anyone Emma…" the brunette's voice just sounded twenty times sexier now. If that was possible.

"Regina, if you're trying to seduce me into conjuring a goddamn flame… It's working… What do I have to do?"

The brunette smirked. "It's quite simple. You just hold out your hand and picture a flame. It also helps if you focus on whatever sparks a flame inside _you_"

Emma gave the latter instruction some thought. Regina was a woman who hid a lot of passion and a lot of emotion inside of her. "Is that what you were trying to do when you set your office on fire?" The silence that followed, as much as the look in Regina's eyes was response enough for Emma. "Are you kidding me Regina? If you can't control your magic, how can I?"

"You have to trust that you can do it. Just have faith in the abilities we both know you have. I had a moment where I lost track of my power. Don't let that scare you into wasting yours."

Emma shot a worried look at Regina who simply reassured her that if anything _were_ to go wrong, she would simply use the fire extinguisher. Besides, now there were two of them so it was definitely a safer environment.

Emma held out her hand. She shut her eyes tightly and pictured a flame. Nothing. She tried again, but to no prevail.

"Does it matter that I'm right handed or something? Should I switch hands? 'Cause this just seems useless…"

"Just keep trying, and try to channel your thoughts into the magic. That's how it worked before. Turn the fire you have burning inside you, into a physical flame in the palm of your hands."

The problem was that Emma was never an emotional person. At least she was never expressive of it… And she was used to that. She felt comfortable that way. The fact that Regina sparked something inside of her that she couldn't quite manage as well at times was different, and she wanted to avoid using her feelings for Regina when it came to fire. She'd set the damn house ablaze within a matter of seconds if she got the least bit out of control.

She extended her hand again and tried to think of Henry. She thought of the time they'd spent together. Going out for ice-cream, and having fun at the amusement park.

"You did it!" Emma could see a small flame form in her hands before it went out. "You picked it up quite easily!"

"Yeah, but that was not exactly a flame. It was tiny and it went out as soon as I lost focus. How do you do it?"

"I've been practicing magic for a long time Emma, a much longer time than you've even known about magic. But judging by the pace you picked this and everything else up, you'll be able to master all this in no time."

This gave Emma a spark of hope. Usually she wasn't one for pep talks, but somehow Regina managed to boost her confidence. She tried to convince herself that it was just the fact that a very powerful witch was complementing her powers, but she knew exactly why. She was well aware that even the sound of Regina's voice alone was calming. It felt like velvet. How was this possible? Emma didn't know how someone's voice could sound like velvet. Velvet was a fabric, how could she feel it in somebody's voice?

"Let's try again. But use something even more powerful."

Emma tried again. She put her hand forward. She shut her eyes tight and pictured herself and Henry… and Regina. As a family. She opened her eyes and saw a small flame develop in her hand. For a second she got excited. She lost focus and the flame flickered. She pictured herself and Regina. Together. As a couple. The flame grew stronger and Emma started to worry.

"You're doing it Emma. Don't be afraid. Channel your feelings, let them flow through you." Regina's voice was getting louder and faster as she got more excited at the progress the apprentice was making.

Regina's voice echoed in the room and as it flowed through Emma the blonde's emotions amplified leading the flame to become even stronger. Regina was beaming with pride as Emma not only conjured a flame but managed to keep it ablaze for a substantial amount of time.

Finally Emma lost focus and let the flame die. All she could think was about how proud she'd made Regina and how pleased she looked so with her.

"That was very well done dear! You did amazing! How do you feel?" Regina walked closer to the blonde and sat down next to her. Sexual tension was starting to build up.

"I feel great! And, I couldn't have done it without you…" Emma looked at the brunette with gratitude, trying to avert her gaze from the woman's cleavage.

"All you needed was a little guidance." Regina smiled as she couldn't help but feel attracted to the woman in front of her who was trying to hide a sheepish grin of pride.

"Ok, I'd like to work on that as much as you can. But now let's try something a bit more challenging. You've done this before, but I'd like to you to practice this one until you master it completely. Use magic to take me to my office and back. Do you think you are going to be able to do that?"

"I could try but no promises."

"Remember, picture the place you want to go, and concentrate. Don't just focus on the image, focus on the place itself." Regina had walked her way behind Emma and now had her hands on Emma's shoulders, speaking into her ears encouragingly.

How Emma didn't faint at that moment was a mystery. Regina's hands were on her body, and the woman's voice was echoing inside her brain, sending a tingle down her entire body. The blonde blushed and bit her bottom lip. She had started to feel turned on by Regina.

The brunette now made her way to face the blonde. She took her hands in her own. "I'm not going to do anything, so this is one hundred percent up to you. Think of the office and take us there"

Emma hoped Regina wouldn't notice how incredibly aroused she was. Maybe a bit to aroused. She couldn't picture the office. All she could think of was the two of them. Alone. In a romantic city. They closed their eyes and Emma did all she could to focus on the office. The two women were surrounded by white smoke before they disappeared from Regina's study.

They opened their eyes and looked around them. This was most definitely not the mayor's office. This wasn't even Storybrooke. Or even Maine or America for that matter. They turned around and instantly recognized the artifact they saw. Champs Elysees. In front of them stood the Arc du Triumph. _Paris_. Emma had taken them to Paris.


End file.
